It is set in South Africa during the Second Boer War and Australian Army Lieutenants Harry “Breaker” Morant (Edward Woodward), Peter Handcock (Bryan Brown) and George Witton (Lewis Fitz-Gerald) stand accused of the murders of six Boer prisoners and the assassination of a German missionary. British Commander-in-Chief Lord Kitchener is determined to see the men found guilty, which he can use as a bargaining chip in an impending peace conference with the Boers. The film is notable for its exploration of the Nuremberg Defense, the politics of the death penalty, and the human cost of total war. As the trial unfolds, the events in question are shown in flashbacks.